A garden center that uses social media can learn a lot from the local dentist that uses social media and the local dentist can learn a lot from a Fortune 500 company that uses the social web. The reverse is also true because there are many common aspects to social media and content marketing across industry segments. Think about it this way… you can go into a biker bar or you can go into TGI Fridays… although they are very different places, you can probably get a burger, beer and a barstool in either one and have fun in both.

Because there are many commonalities, you should look to the successes of others and find out what they are doing right and learn from what they have done wrong when you map out the plan to market your conference or event using the social web. It also pays to get out of the comfort zone that is the meetings and events industry and see what others are doing to shake shit up.

So, where can you find people that can teach you all about how to do this thing called content marketing and social media. Who are the good people to listen to and who can help you succeed while skipping all of the bullshit, hype, and snake oil that is out there? That is the easy part because I have a list to get you started.

Here are 23 content and social media freaks that I follow and learn from on a daily basis. Not everything that they write about is applicable to what we do but I would guess that 80% is.

Some things you just have to skip over…. like ordering the garden burger with extra sprouts at your local biker bar.

Francisco Rosales is one of my favorite social bloggers on the planet. This dude not only teaches good social, he practices it as well. From trying new things on his Facebook page to throwing down on some Pinterest, you will learn much from his little corner of the internet.

Jamie Turner knows his shit. Just look at a couple of recent posts “Cutting-Edge Techniques to Improve the ROI of Your Next Marketing Campaign” and “Mobile Advertising Spend to Reach $2.5B by 2014, According to Google”. These are both things that event marketers need to know. Even if you are planning the pet show in Poughkeepsie, you need to know how mobile is going to affect your future and what you need to do to start measuring your campaigns.

Christopher Penn is the author of this site and he covers a little of this and a little of that when it comes to social. I think that I have gotten the most out of this blog by hitting his stuff on email marketing and brand.

OK. I think (and I could be wrong) that Fluency’s blog posts are more “state of the social industry” than how-to and that is a good thing. It gives you a heads up on what is coming, what is failing and what to expect from the companies that supply your social animal.

This is what you need to make your social sexy… if it weren’t already. But since your social is already sexy, these folks can help you keep it looking good for years to come with little snips like “how to get more YouTube views” and what social manager doesn’t wonder about that shit.

All around type site. A little of this, little of that and a sprinkle of other good stuff. Cool quotes and how -tos that will keep you interested with things like “how to choose a social media consultant”.

Great name. Great content ans she even throws in video posts on occasion. The short of it is that there is a lot to learn here from someone who know there stuff and also knows that you need to be real to make the social web successful.

Take what others are using to be successful and add the “how’d they do that” element and you get the idea of this blog. From user generated content to how Red Bull got like 8 bazillion people to watch a guy jump from space, you cannot go wrong here.

I love Neal’s Schaffer’s blog. Period, Hands Down. I love it because he is pushing content like “The Tethered Generation Thinks Mobile-First…and So Should You.” This is the stuff that event marketers need to know in order to be successful.

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PlannerWire is where you can learn how to be better at your gig, be more effective with your marketing, understand the technology that powers our world, have a little fun, and create a better meeting or incentive for your attendees.